North Korea: North Korean leader Mr. Kim Jong Un convened a crucial party conference to talk about agricultural growth in response to reports of “grave” food shortages in the impoverished nation.

These meetings typically only take place once or twice a year, but the plenary is held barely two months after the previous one, which also had an agricultural theme. There have been growing rumours that North Korea may currently be experiencing severe food shortages due to the discussions on agriculture’s unusually high frequency.

In order to “analyse and review… the programme for the rural revolution in the new era, and decide on the immediate important tasks and the urgent tasks,” Mr. Kim presided over the opening of a plenary meeting of top ruling party officials on 26th February 2023.

Last week, ministry spokeswoman Mr. Koo Byoung-sam stated, “We estimate the food shortages there to be grave,” and added Pyongyang appeared to have asked the World Food Programme for assistance. Last week, ministry spokeswoman Koo Byoung-sam stated, “We judge the food shortages there to be grave,” and added Pyongyang appeared to have asked the World Food Program for assistance.

The North Korean monitoring site 38 North reported that it believed the country’s current food shortages to be the greatest in decades. In a January 2023 assessment, the Pyongyang government stated that it was confronted with “a complex humanitarian emergency with food insecurity at its core.”

Rice and corn prices have been “significant” different globally and in North Korea since early 2021, making food far more expensive there and “signalling a breakdown” in supplies, it was claimed.

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